


Sea of the Soul Gem

by MsFaust



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, Persona 3
Genre: Alternate Universe, Avengers: Endgame (Movie) Spoilers, Can’t tag much because of spoilers, Crossover, Gen, Not fully compliant with canon, Post-Avengers: Endgame (Movie), Resurrection, Self-Sacrifice
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-02
Updated: 2019-05-17
Packaged: 2019-11-08 02:41:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 2,193
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17972915
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MsFaust/pseuds/MsFaust
Summary: Between the events of the Snap and the Return, some of those who were taken found themselves with an important role to play.(Semi-compliant with Endgame.)





	1. Chapter 1

One moment, Wanda Maximoff was disintegrating, the Snap having decided that she would be one of its victims. The next, she was in a vast hallway, propped against a wall of orange crystal. Around her, she could see others, including several of those she had fought beside, lying unconscious in various positions.  
  
“What is this place?”  
  
She slowly pulled herself to her feet, using the wall for support. A brief dizzy spell almost made her collapse again, but a pair of arms caught her before she could hit the floor.  
  
“Easy now,” a male voice said. “I’ve got you.”  
  
Turning slightly, she saw a young man with white hair dressed in a blue bellhop uniform. He waited until she had regained her footing, then released her and went over to where Falcon lay unconscious.  
  
“Victor?” she inquired shakily, having noticed the similarity to the Vision’s human guise.  
  
“My name is Theodore,” he answered. “Your beloved has yet to awaken, but I can take you to him once everyone else is up.”  
  
(MCU/P3)  
  
Once the others had been awoken, Theodore led them down the hallway. They passed several rooms, in which they could see people from all walks of life sleeping peacefully in what seemed to be hospital beds.  
  
”Each of these people was among those claimed by Thanos,” Theodore told them. “Until all is set right, they remain asleep here.”  
  
”And where is ‘here’, exactly?” asked Bucky.  
  
”My master is the overseer of a dimension that exists between consciousness and unconsciousness. With some aid from...let’s call it a higher power, he was able to create a connection between it and a realm existing within the Soul Stone. As such, part of the latter has been modified into a place susceptible to his whim, and he turned that part into a place of healing.”  
  
Several of the group frowned at this. If Theodore’s ‘master’ was that powerful...  
  
”Ah, here we are.”  
  
They had reached the end of the hall, where another door awaited them. Opening it, Theodore escorted them into the ‘private wing’. A young woman bearing a familial resemblance to Theodore was seated by a bed in which the Vision lay, a nearby monitor showing brain activity.  
  
”Hello, brother,” the woman said, looking up. Seeing the heroes, she raised an eyebrow. “My, this is interesting.”  
  
”You sensed the potential as well?” Theodore inquired.  
  
”Indeed,” she replied. “While none of them hold the same power that our usual guests possess, there are several who may yet awaken. And I believe that some of the sleeping ones hold that power as well. Oh, but I’m getting ahead of myself.”  
  
She stood, and held out a hand. “My name is Elizabeth. It is a pleasure to meet all of you.”  
  
”Regrettably, our master is preoccupied at the moment, so he asked us to provide assistance,” Theodore said. “We are willing to answer whatever questions we can. First, however, we must explain who we are, exactly...”  
  
(MCU/P3)  
  
The Soul Stone, as it turned out, was the receptacle for a pocket dimension, which the Velvet Room residents referred to as ‘the World of Memory.’ Most who were brought to the World of Memory would live in a dream molded by their subconscious, but some could remain awake or be awoken. This was fortunate, as due to Thanos’s actions, the World of Memory had been infested by Shadows—monsters born from negative thoughts and feelings. If they were left unchecked, they would overrun the World of Memory. Elizabeth and Theodore’s master—who went by the name of Igor—had sent them to provide aid to those within the Soul Stone under orders from his own master, a being called Philemon.  
  
The gathered heroes split up in order to cover more ground: Star-Lord, Groot, and Drax forming one team, Bucky, Scarlet Witch, and Falcon a second, and Wasp, Black Panther, and Spider-Man a third. Dr. Strange and Gamora stayed behind to keep an eye on Vision and talk with the twins.  
  
”So how many times has this guy tried to make humans destroy themselves?”  
  
”Many times,” Elizabeth said. “And not just here, but in numerous worlds across existence. He is literally incapable of understanding altruism and compassion, believing that everyone is ultimately selfish and will inevitably succumb to their own desires.”  
  
”And as long as there is darkness with in the hearts of man, and their kindred races, he will never truly be destroyed,” added Theodore. “Fortunately, Master Philemon is similar, in that he will always exist so long as good does.  
  
Nodding, Doctor Strange gestured, and his cup refilled itself. “Anyone else care for a refill?”  
  
Gamora held out her own cup. “How much influence did Nyarlathotep have over Thanos?”  
  
”The Mad Titan came by belief that ‘balancing the universe’ would fix all of its problems on his own,” answered Elizabeth. “Nyarlathotep merely exploited him, taking advantage of Thanos’s plans to further his own.”  
  
”But not only will he once again be foiled, but set back tremendously.” Theodore placed a lump of sugar into his own tea. “One of the Crawling Chaos’s previous attempts to bring ruin was foiled by a young man who sacrificed himself to seal away a dark god. When that happened, the tantrum Nyarlathotep threw destroyed a minor dark realm.”  
  
”I have been seeking a way to free that young man from his burden,” Elizabeth said. “Now, however, it seems I need to search no longer.”


	2. Chapter 2

Thanos looked up at the giant golden door, to which a statue resembling a young man was bound with chains.  
  
“He sacrificed himself to keep the Fall from occurring,” said one of the two people standing beside him, a young man with dark hair. “Now he stands guard to keep the world safe.”  
  
“The Fall?” Thanos inquired.  
  
“Many years ago, a number of humans belonging to something called the Kirijo group accidentally awoke a being called Erebus,” said the other person—Elizabeth. “Erebus seeks to unite with his counterpart Nyx, which would bring about the end of the world. Nyx would be drawn to Earth by the Appriser, a powerful Shadow of the Death Arcana, but after spending time in the form of Ryoji Mochizuki,”—here she indicated her companion—“the Appriser developed a sense of compassion for the living, and was able to warn a small band of humans of what was to come.”  
  
“Shadows are creatures born from the darkness in the hearts of living beings,” Ryoji explained. “Our chained friend and his allies fought them using the power of Personas, a power that is in some ways similar to the Shadows. However, only through allowing himself to become what is known as the Great Seal was he able to stop the Fall.”  
  
Thanos paused to take that in. It was natural to fear death, and to actively fight it. Even so, he had to admire their efforts.  
  
“May I ask what this has to do with me?”  
  
“What most do not know is that Nyarlahotep, a god of chaos, orchestrated the awakening of Erebus,” replied Elizabeth. “For a long time, he and his counterpart Philemon have been engaged in a battle of ideals.  
  
“Nyarlahotep believes that all living things are ultimately self-serving and that ‘morals’ are simply a self-imposed restriction that lets them fool themselves into thinking they are good,” Ryoji said. “Whereas Philemon believes the opposite—that goodness is inherent, and compassion is genuine.”  
  
“Your idea of what it takes to balance the universe may have come to you naturally,” Elizabeth went on. “But Nyarlahotep exploited it in an attempt to destroy the Great Seal. In sending half of all living creatures into the Soul Stone, you caused the Seal to become weaker. Over time, it would have become weak enough that Erebus could have reached Nyx, and all life would have been extinguished. Thus, Nyarlahotep’s plan would have succeeded after all, and he would have won.”  
  
Hearing this, Thanos grew angry. There was a reason he had wiped out only half of all life—he had genuinely believed that his actions were for the greater good. Nyarlahotep, however, had no benevolence in him whatsoever, and the knowledge that such a monster had taken advantage of him was unacceptable.  
  
“It is not enough that my actions have been undone,” he said. “Tell me, what do I have to do?”  
  
“Not much,” Elizabeth answered. “For the most part, I will be the one doing something. All that is required of you...is to accept this fate of your own free will.”  
  
“That,” Thanos told her. “I will gladly do.”  
  
Elizabeth gave a nod of satisfaction before holding out her hands. Calmly, Thanos closed his eyes, a black glow surrounding his body. The glow enveloped him, turning him into a mass of black light. At the same time, the statue turned into a mass of white light. Elizabeth‘s heartbeat quickened as the two lights traded places, the black light being bound by the chains on the door as the white light took human shape beside her. When the glow faded, it was a statue of Thanos that was chained to the door, an expression of calm and acceptance on his face.  
  
Nodding, the Velvet Room attendant turned to the young man standing next to her.  
  
“Follow me. Your friends are waiting for you.”


	3. Chapter 3

It was while the world was celebrating the Avengers’ victory against Thanos that the heroes saw it. Above Tony’s house, where they had gathered, a large sphere of pale blue light had appeared. Though none of them knew exactly what the orb was, they somehow knew it was no threat.  
  
As they gazed upon it in wonder, an unfamiliar melody began to play. Words echoed through the air, although none of them could tell where the song was coming from.  
  
“Dreamless dark, ticking clock,  
I walk away from the soundless room.  
Windless night, moonlight melts  
My ghostly shadow to the lukewarm gloom.”  
  
The glowing orb slowly began to break apart into dozens of blue butterflies made of light, which flew in all directions. Most of them soon vanished into the night, but a few flew down to land on some of those present, sending a feeling of comforting warmth through them.  
  
Yet what truly caught the heroes’ attention was the human-shaped form, also made of pale blue light, revealed to be underneath.  
  
“Nightly dance of bleeding swords  
Reminds me that I still live.”  
  
The glowing faded, revealing an Asian teenager with blue hair, wearing a school uniform. His arms, initially spread as if he were bound to a cross, lowered as a ball of orange light materialized.  
  
“I will burn my dread!  
I once ran away from the god of fear  
And he chained me to despair!  
Burn my dread!  
I will break the chain and run  
Till I see the sunlight again!  
I’ll lift my face  
And run to the sunlight!”  
  
As the stranger moved his arms into a position where they seemed to be cradling something invisible, the orange light ball grew larger and took on a human shape. Slowly, it descended into the young man’s arms, and he descended to the ground, landing as lightly as a feather.  
  
“Voiceless town, tapping feet,  
I clench my fists in pockets tight.  
Far in mist, a tower awaits  
Like a merciless tomb devouring moonlight.”  
  
Cautiously, they approached, the young man smiling as he caught sight of them.  
  
“Hello there.”  
  
“Who-?” Clint began, only to stop as the form in the young man’s arms stopped glowing and was revealed to be Natasha Romanoff, unconscious but unmistakably alive.  
  
“Now that the Soul Stone is back on Vormir, her soul is no longer needed,” the young man said, his words tinged with a distinct accent. “As for who I am...”  
  
“Clockwork maze, end unknown,  
In frozen time, a staircase stands.  
Shadows crawl on bloodstained floor.  
I rush straight ahead, with a sword in hand.”  
  
“Minato!”  
  
They all turned to see a small group of people rushing towards them.  
  
“The cold touch of my trembling gun,  
I close my eyes to hear you breathe.”  
  
“It’s me,” Minato Arisato affirmed happily. “But what are you guys doing here?”  
  
“Ryoji brought us here,” explained a young woman with light brown hair. “He said Elizabeth had found someone to take your place as the Seal.”  
  
She hugged him. “I never thought I’d see you again!”  
  
“I will burn my dread!  
This time I’ll grapple down that god of fear,  
And throw him into hell’s fire!  
Burn my dread!  
I will shrug the pain and run  
Till I see the sunlight again!”  
  
“Pardon me,” interrupted Bruce. “But could one of you please explain what’s happening here?”  
  
“Yes,” said a woman with red hair. “I do believe an explanation, and some introductions, are in order.”  
  
As the members of SEES introduced themselves to the Avengers and company, Minato looked up at the moon, a small smile crossing his face. No matter what new threats arose, there would always be those to stand against them. Humanity‘s future was looking brighter.  
  
“Oh, I will run  
Burning all regret and dread,  
And I will face the sun  
With the pride of the living!”


End file.
